Disposable cooler



s 9, 1969 w, BOYER 3,465,948

' DISPOSABLE COOLER Filed Oct. 5, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 W q 42 a I jgINVENTOR GARY W Bob 5R ()RNEY Sept. 9, 1969 s. w. BOYER 3,455,943

DISPOSABLE COOLER Filed Oct. 3, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR GARY W 50YEP? ORNEY Sept. 9, 1969 s. w. BOYER DISPOSABLE COOLER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3Filed Oct. 5. 1967 INVENTOR GARY W BOVER ATTORNEY US. Cl. 229-14 8Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention comprises a disposablecooler for bottled or canned beverages and the like. The cooler includesa base unit, a cooler unit, and a cover. The base unit comprises an openended sleeve arranged vertically on the ground or floor. A fillerextends a portion of the height of the sleeve to support the coolerunit. The cooler unit comprises a Water tight tray telescoped into theupper end of the sleeve for support by the filler. The cooler unit isdesigned to accommodate the cans or bottles, and ice. The cover istelescoped onto the tray to close the cooler.

This invention relates to an improvement in disposable beverage coolersand deals particularly with a container made of corrugated paperboardcapable of holding a considerable quantity of beverage underrefrigeration for a period of several hours.

Various beverages such as the cola drinks are sold in considerablequantity for use at parties and picnics. In order to increase the saleof the beverage and to simplify the task of handling by the customer,the beverage companies normally provide coolers made of plastic or metalcontaining ice and capable of holding perhaps a case of 24 disposablebottles or cans of the beverage. At the conclusion of the party orpicnic, it is necessary for the beverage company to pick up the coolersfor reuse.

Certain of the beverage companies found that this practice wasexcessively expensive, and was costing the company an amount out ofproportion to the profit. The main reason for the high cost was in thefact that most such parties and picnics took place after normal workinghours, and oftentimes on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The cost ofpicking up the coolers at such times greatly reduced their profit.Accordingly, it was decided to attempt to produce a disposable coolercapable of holding the beverage under refrigeration for the duration ofthe party or picnic, and which could merely be discarded at the end ofthe occasion. The present invention resides in the provision of such adisposable cooler.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a coolermade of corrugated paperboard which may be easily and quickly assembledat the location of the party or picnic and which may normally consist ina series of flat blanks. The parts involved include a rectangular sleevehaving open upper and lower ends and including a filler extendingupwardly a portion of the height of the base to act as a support for thecooler unit. The cooler unit comprises a diagonally creased tray havingbellows corners and an inner surface of moisture tight material such aspolyethylene. The third main part includes a cover designed to telescopeover the cooler unit when the cooler unit is not in use. The cooler unitis of sufficient size to hold several cases of beverage in disposablebottles or cans. In actual practice, the cooler unit is designed tocontain four cases or 96 bottles or cans, together with cracked ice insufiicient quantity to hold the United States Patent ice beverage underrefrigeration for a period of several hours.

In order to use the disposable cooler, the base is preferably stitchedby the manufacturer to produce a sleeve which is in flat folded form.Lining flanges are preferably provided hinged to the upper edge of thesleeve. The base is erected into rectangular form, and two fillermembers are placed in intersecting relation and inserted into thesleeve, the filler strips extending diagonally between the corners andholding the sleeve in rectangular form. The base is completed by foldinginwardly and down wardly the liner flanges to overlie the filler strips.

The cooler unit is next formed by folding side and end walls into rightangular relation to the bottom panel, and folding the gusset flaps atthe corners of the blank to form bellows folds at the corners of thetray. Preferably, the gusset flaps are secured in face contact to theside or end walls of the container by means of a hand stitcher or otherfastening means.

The cover includes a top panel having side and end walls or wall flangeshinged to the edges thereof. The side and end flanges are folded intoright angular relation to the top panel, and corner flaps on the ends oftwo opposed side or end walls are folded into face contact with the endsof the remaining opposed Walls and secured thereto by a hand stitcher orthe like. The beverage and ice are inserted into the cooler unit and thestructure is in readiness for use.

A feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the fillerin the base of the device supports the bottom panel of the cooler unitin spaced relation to the ground or floor, providing a dead air spacebeneath the cooler unit which tends to retard the melting of the ice andto maintain the beverage refrigerated over a longer period of time.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention willbe more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification andclaims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the disposable cooler in closedassembled form.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective View of the base portion of the disposablecooler in readiness to receive the cooler unit.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the cooler unit in its assembled form.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional View through the disposable cooler, thepostion of the section being indi cated by the line 44 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE'S is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the base sleeveis formed.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the two filler strips in explodedrelation.

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the cooler unitis formed.

FIGURE 8 is a greatly enlarged section through the corrugated boardshowing the water tight coating on the inner surface thereof.

FIGURE 9 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the coversection is formed.

The disposable cooler is indicated in general by the letter A. Ingeneral, the cooler A includes a base unit B, a cooler unit C, and acover D. The cooler unit C telescopes into the open upper end of thebase unit B, and the cover D telescopes over the upper open end of thecooler unit C.

The base unit B is indicated in its assembled form in FIGURE 2 of thedrawings, and includes an open ended sleeve indicated in general by thenumeral 10, and a filler structure which is indicated in general by thenumeral 11. The sleeve is formed as shown in FIG- URE 5 of the drawingsand includes an end wall panel 12, a first side wall panel 13, a secondend wall 14, and a second side wall connected together along parallelfold lines 16, 17 and 19. A stitch or glue flap 20 is hingedly connectedto an end wall of the series such as the second side wall 15 along afold line 21 which is parallel' to the previously described lines offold. In actual practice, the stitch flap 20 is normally stitched orglued in over lapping relation to the end wall panel 10 to form arectangular sleeve which may be folded into flat form.

The upper edges of the wall panels described are defined by a fold line22 which connect the panels to liner flanges. Liner flanges 23, 24, 25,and 26 are foldably connected to the end wall 12, side wall 13, secondend wall 14 and second side wall 15 along the fold line 22. The flangesare all of equal length measured in a direction normal to the fold line22.

The filler structure 11 includes a pair of elongated corrugated panels27 and 29 of generally rectangular form and preferably having the flutesof the corrugated board extending vertically when in place. The twomembers 27 and 29 may be identical with one member inverted relative tothe other. As indicated in FIGURE 6, a slot 30' is provided in the loweredge 31 of the filler member 27 extending substantially one-half thevertical height of the panel 27. The panel 29 is provided with avertical slot 32 in the upper edge 33 thereof, the slots 30 and 32 beingmidway between the ends of the panels 27 and 29. The slots 30 and 32interengage to form an X- shaped filler. The panels 27 and 29 aresubstantially equal in length to the distance between diagonallyopposite corners of the sleeve 10.

The cooler unit C is preferably formed of corrugated paperboard havingan outer liner 34, and inner linear 35, and a corrugated medium 36therebetween. The inner liner is provided with a coating of moistureimpervious material such as polyethylene as indicated at 37.

The cooler unit C includes a bottom panel 39 of rectangular form and ofdimensions slightly less than the inner dimensions of the sleeve 10.Side walls 40 are hingedly connected to the bottom panel 39 alongparallel fold lines 41. End walls 42 are hingedly connected to the endsof the bottom panel 39 along parallel fold lines 43. The ends of theside wall panels 40 are connected to the ends of the end wall panels 42by a pair of similar triangular gusset flaps 44 and 45 which arehingedly connected together along diagonal fold lines 46.

The cover D is formed of the blank illustrated in FIG- URE 9 of thedrawings. The cover D includes a top panel 47 of rectangular form whichis connected along parallel fold lines 49 to side wall flanges or panels50. The top panel 47 is also connected along fold lines 51 to end wallflanges or panels 52. Corner flaps 53 are hingedly connected to the endsof one pair of opposed flanges or 52. In the form illustrated, thecorner flaps 53 are hinged to the ends of the end wall panels 52.

When the disposable cooler is to be used, the various units may bedelivered to the point of use in flat form with the usual exception ofthe sleeve 10 which is stitched or glue at the manufacturers joint andfolded flat as has been described. To assemble the disposable cooler,the sleeve 10 is folded into rectangular form and rested upon the groundor floor. The filler panels 27 and 29 are interlocked and inserted intothe sleeve, the panels 27 and 29 extending diagonally across the sleeveto hold the sleeve in rectangular form. The flanges 23, 24, 25 and 26are then folded downwardly against the ends of the filler panels, FIGURE2 of the drawings showing the base in completed form.

The cooler unit C is next erected by folding the gusset flaps 44 and 45along the diagonal fold lines 46 until the gusset flaps 44 and 45 are inface contact. The combined gusset flaps are then swung into positionadjoining either the side walls 40 or the end walls 42. It will beunderstood that in folding the gusset flaps 44 and 45 into face contact,the side walls 40 and end walls 42 will be folded into right angularrelation with the bottom panel 39. FIGURE 3 of the drawings shows thecooler unit C in assembled form. Preferably staples 54 or other suitablefastening means hold the gusset flaps against opposed walls. FIGURE 3 ofthe drawings shows the gusset flaps secured in face contact with theside walls 40 of the cooler unit.

The cover unit D is then assembled by folding the side wall flanges 5tand end wall flanges 52 into right angular relation to the cover panel47, and by securing the corner flaps 53 in face contact with the sidewall flanges 50. When assembled, the side and end wall flanges 50 and 52are spaced apart a distance suflicient to permit the cover D to betelescoped over the open upper end of the cooler unit C.

Before the cover D is applied, the cooler unit C is filled withdisposable cans or bottles of beverage, and cracked ice or ice cubes areintermixed with the cans or bottles. When the cover is in place, thebeverage will remain in a refrigerated state over a period of severalhours, or throughout a length of time suflicient to last through theparty or picnic. Obviously, the ice supply may be replenished if it isso desired.

I claim:

1. A disposable cooler including:

a rectangular base unit having an open upper end,

a filler member comprising strips of corrugated paperboard within saidbase secured on edge with the surfaces on substantially vertical planesand terminating in spaced relation to the upper end thereof on commonplace,

a cooler unit comprising a substantially water tight tray telescopedinto said base and resting upon said filler member, said tray extendingupwardly from said base, and

a removable cover on said tray.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said strips divide the interiorof said base into a plurality of dead air spaces.

3. The structure of claim 1 and in which the corrugated flutes of saidstrips extend vertically.

4. A disposable cooler including:

a rectangular base unit having an open upper end,

a cooler unit comprising a substantially water tight tray telescopedinto said base unit and extending upwardly therefrom,

a removable cover on said tray, and

a filler member within said base unit to provide a dead air space withinsaid base unit beneath said cooler unit,

said filler member comprising a pair of intersecting filler stripsextending diagonally between the corners of said base unit.

5. The structure of claim 1 and including flanges on the upper edges ofsaid base folded inwardly and downwardly to terminate substantially onsaid common plane.

6. A disposable cooler including:

a rectangular base unit having an open upper end,

a cooler unit comprising a substantially water tight tray telescopedinto said base unit and extending upwardly therefrom,

a removable cover on said tray,

said base unit comprising an open ended sleeve including linear flangeson the upper edges of said sleeve folded to lie upwardly of the sleevewalls, and

a filler within said base unit supporting said cooler unit, said flangesengaging the upper end of said filler.

7. The structure of claim 1 and in which said cooler unit tray includesa rectangular bottom panel, side and end walls connected to the edges ofsaid bottom panel,

5 6 and bellow corners connecting the ends of said side and 1,311,0477/1919 Cole 22931 end walls at the corners of said tray. 1,343,391 6/1920 Haas.

8. The structure of claim 1 and in Which said cover is 1,701,323 2/1929Fredenhagen. telescopically secured on said tray.

References Cited 5 DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner UNITED STATESPATENTS US. Cl. X.R.

918,138 4/1909 Flora 229-43 220-63

